Railway-car door or gate.



RALWAY GR TOOR OR GATE. APPLIOATIOH FILED HAR. 15, 1909.

L. A. SHERMAN. RALWAY GAR DOOR OR GATE. APPLIUATION FILED :af-11h15, 1909,

Patented Juas l5, i909.

2 SHBBTS-SBEET 2v with the projection.

LOUIS A. SHERMAN, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

No. 927'39. Specification of Application led ri'arch 15,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Louis A; SHERMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county oi Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useiul Improvement in Railway-Car Doors or Gates, and declare the Jfollowing to he a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as Will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part ot this` specification.

This invention relates to railway car doors or gatesgit has lor -its object an improved opening and closing device for those gates Which are arranged to control the admission of passengers to railway cars', whereby the entire series of gates on a train are lcontrolled from a single point, yand whereby the itself cannot he started or put in motion until the admission doors or gates are closed.

In the drawingflligure 1, shows a door or gate in closed position. Fig. 2, shows the means hy which the door or gate is opened. Fig. 3, is a diagrammatic showing ci` a series oi doors and 'their electrical connections. Fig. 4, is plan view', partly in section, of the locking latch and ot the. electrical connections thereabout, looking Jfrom above.

1 indicates the door, 2 the car to which it is attached. The door is supported on roller hearings 3 o'n the track 4, and is provided vnth a Weight 5 suspended on a spindle cord 7, which passes over the shea-ye 6 to a projection 8, rising above the tract: a. The door` is closed by the pull ol the Weight on thecord. Immediately upon-releasing the tension oi thaopening rneans,` which consists of an 'airactuated piston 1() engaging in a cylinder 11,

f to which air is admitted through a pipe 12 'from a distant source oi` supply, the door is locked shut by a pivoted latch 13, that drops into locking engagement behind the projection 8. The piston is provided with a conical nose 16, that engages under the end ot the latch, and atthe first par-.t ot' the actuation ci the piston the air pressure or fluid pressure lifts the latch out of engagement' The liiting and unlocking ol' the latch is Yfollowed by enga ement of the nose With the projection 8, and tne suhsequent opening oi the door hy the further ction or piston 1G from its cylinder. v'Then the doors are close the locking lef ers 5.3, or, rather the current-'carrying merci Letters Patent.

plating members ot a circuit 17, which derives its energy from a battery 18. rlhe opening or closing of the circuit'may also he regulated hy the switch 19. l'n this closed position the magnet 2() is energized, and attracts to itself the Weighted and otherwise depressed, armature end 21 of the pivoted lever 22, hy the contact of whose`end 23 against the terminals 24E and 24h ol the circuit 24, its closed or open condition is determined. W hen the circuit 17 is closed, the circuit causes an illumination of the lamp 25, .Whichz thus indicates that all the doors are shut and latched.

The latch lever 13 is not a current conductor at all, but through it extends an in sulating sleeve 215, through which passes the stein portion ol the resilient contact iinger 27, which, at its lower end, is connected with the adjacent portion 17 a of the circuit Wire and with its outer end engages the contact plate 2S its adjacent portion 17b ol' the circuit', and is insulated l'rorn the side of the car, on which it is supported hy the mica or other insulating medium 2Q. lts contact with this plate 2S is possible only when the latch 13 is in lull locking position, so that upon the rise oi the latch 13 under the actuation of the piston 10, the electrical circuit 17 is broken. `",Vhen this occurs, the end 21 ot the lever' 22 ialls from the then non-attracting magnet, and, by Contact against the terminals 24a and 2e closes the circuit 24 and causes a ringing of the bell to announce the closing oi' the circuit 2a and the opening oi thecircuit 17.

is the simultaneous opening ot all the doors is what is desired in this type ol doorcontrol system, it is ohviousthat the control ol the actuating l'luid i'or all of the doors may he arranged at any desired oint, and that the piping to the individualp doors may be connected therewith accordingly.

`llhat I claim is:-

In combination with a Weight closed door, a latch adapted to lock the 'door in closed position, a fluid actuated piston adapted to engage the latch and unlock the same from the door and to subsequently engage the door and open the same, suhstantiall r as described.

2. In combination with a sliding door, a

- which they' support, constitute theearn1 which is similarly connected With- Weighted cord engaging over a sheaye, hy AWnose pull tne door is normally held closed, taten sdsptedjt can the door in closed pcsition when it has reached its position of full l closure, and a fluid actuated piston member adapted to trip said latch and release it from locking ositlon and to thereafter pressl against t. 1e door to effect its opening, substztntizilly as described. i 3. In combination with a Weight lclosed door, e latch adapted to lock the door in f closed position, spaced electric terminals edc )ted to be brought into connection when l saidI lil-tch is in locking position, means fori .indicating that the electric circuit is thereby closed, and e, fluid actuated piston adapted to force the latch lroin its locking positionk und by continued forward movement to causo the opening:r oi' the door, substantially us described.

4. ln combination with tt plurality of,

weight closed doors, latch members ada ted to lock the same in closed position, a uid actuated pist-on for each latch adapted to trip the same from their locking position and for moving its door to open position, an. electrical circuit adapted to be closed by the descent of all of said latch members to locking position and to be broken bythe displacement of any one from its locking .position, and means actuated by the opening and closing of said circuit for indicating its condition, substantially es described.

In testimony whereof, I sign this speci cation in the presence ot' two witnesses.

LGUIS A. SHERMAN. Wvitiiesses:

Cie-As. C. JENNINGS, WILLAM M. SWAN. 

